What's between my babies and my work (both inclusive)? A record of my children growing up, stories from my job and my daily life.

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Monday, January 2, 2012

2011 - The year That Was

A new year has dawned upon us just like that, without much fanfare. I've spent the long weekend catching up on errands especially for the coming school reopening and Chinese New Year. Then I read the posts of 2 bloggers and this inspires me to do the same on reflecting on 2011 and resolve to achieve some main goals in 2012.Family
Baby Xin turned 1 in January and is a toddler. She learnt to point before she was able to speak, and when she can speak she says 2 syllable words in Mandarin, English, Tamil and Teochew. Her most frequently used word is "em mai" which is "don't want" in Teochew. She is turning into an i-generation toddler, where everything is about touch screens, sliding and flipping, and iPad becomes a bedtime request (sigh.....).
Wei turned 10 in Nov and is considered a tall boy. My first born is a chess-enthusiast, swimmer and piano player. He represented school in chess competitions, but swims and plays piano for fun. Towards the end of 2011, he had to get a dental retainer fixed to his upper teeth, that should last him for 3-6 months.
Yuan is a skinny but active girl, she turned 8 in Dec. She had to get an eye surgery done to correct her weak eye muscles, and started to wear glasses this year. I am thankful that all went well. Yuan is generally good with all subjects. I hope 2012 will be a year she gains more weight, I am trying to encourage her to eat more.
J and I, we are in our 12th year of marriage and still going strong. J is a partner who is considerate and supportive, a great father to the kids and a great family man.Work
Work has been most challenging this year, and I put in a lot of time and effort in order to make things work. The good things are: 1. J is very understanding about my tight timelines and 2. My efforts do not go unnoticed by the boss and my team as well. Towards the end of this year, the boss changed my portfolio so that I can have a fresh start and develop new ideas.Travel
For a work training I was sent to Manila. Other than that, I really enjoyed the 3-day break to Singapore (Marina Bay Sands and Festive Hotel) and our 2-week-shoestring-budget trip to Japan with the kids.

Health & Fitness
This is the aspect that seriously needs improvement as I have skipped my yoga classes and swimming for months, all in the name of work (and also an element of laziness - *embarrassed*)Spirituality
I really could have done more, but I am thankful for the opportunity to attend a 1-day meditation camp, Kathina Day as we do every year, and helping out at our Sunday classes to guide young pre-schoolers. Time contribution reminds me to have patience, be humble and be grateful for all that I have.Contribution
Under the planning and guidance of our fellow team-member and blogger, Anie, we organized a charity program on property topics and all the proceeds were donated to the NSTP fund. We hope that our small contribution would make a difference to someone's life.Education
This year was great! I've been to at least 5 seminars on properties and wealth management. And with a baby now, I really couldn't have done it without J's kind understanding, and willingness to look after the kids when I am away at the seminar sessions.
On top of self-education, we also conducted 2 other sharing sessions in March and July to share with others with like-minded interests.

A great 2011 indeed and I am thankful for the love of my family and the support of my friends.

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About Me

Haruki means Spring Wood, a name that I borrow from my favourite Japanese author. Property Dance is about growing my property investments and my quest is to achieve mastery, very much like a perfectly choreographed dance. Babies & Work is a blog of gratitude for my family (kids Wei, Yuan and Baby Xin and my dear hubby, J) as well as interesting stories from my job.

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This is a blog about my kids, work, gadgets and travel. For my property blog, please visit Property Dance.

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